Web-sightings: Retailers slash prices early

With one-and-a-half days left before Christmas, retailers are pulling out the stops to lure last-minute shoppers. Signs up and down Michigan Avenue flaunt 30%, 40%, 50% off — offers usually reserved for post-Christmas sales.

And shoppers are scooping up the deals. According to locally based ShopperTrak, holiday shoppers boosted sales by almost 22% for the week ended Dec. 17 compared with the prior week.

That increase put this December on pace to record higher retail sales than last year. So far, month-to-date figures are up 0.5% over December 2010, ShopperTrak says.

But the aggressive deals also indicate that retailers had a disappointing early holiday season and didn't estimate inventory needs correctly, as Stephanie Clifford reports in the New York Times.

If you're still stuck at the office, you clearly have some time to waste . . . so here are a few interesting reads that will collectively squander at least 15 minutes. Happy holidays!